Too bad the performance is ruined by the two prominent women. I do not care for either Rigal or Barbieri. Milanov and Stigani would have been wonderful. I sometimes think Traubel might have made an interesting Eboli (with O don fatale in a lower key). After all, she wanted to sing Italian parts.
From: Juan Dzazopulos <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2017 7:26 AM
Subject: DON CARLO Recordings....And Björling?
The Metropolitan Opera opened its 1950-51 season with a new production
of "Don Carlo". It did not include the Fontainebleau scene, neither
the 3rd act ballet, La Pérégrina.
The cast for the opening night (November 6, 1950) was:
Jussi Björling (Don Carlo); Delia Rigal (Elisabetta); Fedora Barbieri
(Eboli); Robert Merrill (Roderigo); Cesare Siepi (Filippo); Jerome
Hines (Inquisitore); Lucina Amara (Voce Celestiale). The conductor was
Fritz Stiedry.
Later performances included (not together): Richard Tucker (Don
Carlo); Eleanor Steber (Elisabetta); Paolo Silveri and Frank Valentino
(Roderigo); Blanche Thebom (Eboli); Hans Hotter and Nicola Moscona
(Inquisitore) and Jerome Hines (Filippo).
The opening performance was fortunately live recorded and it was
available from Myto Records (2MCD 911.35) (1995). Though 22 years old,
I still consider it as one of my favourite recordings of Don Carlo,
and only followed by the 1951 Cetra commercial recording already
mentioned (Picchi, Caniglia, Stignani, Silveri, Rossi Lemeni, Neri and
Sciutti: Fernando Previtali, conductor).
Juan
---------------
El Tue, 8 Aug 2017 04:00:51 -0500
Russ Geschke <[log in to unmask]> escribió:
> Because no one else has mentioned this: There is also a 2 CD
>"Living Stage" mono recording of "Don Carlo" from Lyric Opera of
>Chicago, opening night 14 October 1960, with Tucker, Margherita
>Roberti, Gobbi, Simionato, and Christoff, conducted by Antonino
>Votto. The usual abridged performance edition. The sound (as I
>recall) was quite good. My copy came from either amazon.com or ebay.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vesna Danilovic"
><[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, August 07, 2017 7:19 PM
> Subject: Re: DON CARLO Recordings
>
>
>>I absolutely agree with you about the Solti and Giulini studio sets,
>>Max.
>> If not the first studio recording (that honor goes to Santini even
>>twice,
>> no idea why...), Solti's was surely the first *major* studio set.
>>Now that
>> you highlight Gobbi on Santini '54, I've never heard his Rodrigo and
>>would
>> surely want to listen to it. I do have this second studio from 1961
>>and for
>> all the reasons we mentioned, it's a keeper for me.
>>
>> Best, Vesna
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 7:57 PM, Maxwell Paley <[log in to unmask]>
>>wrote:
>>
>>> Vesna, I also held back figuring certainly someone else would jump
>>>in. The
>>> first one was an HMV mono set from 1954 whose main glory, for me,
>>>was
>>> Gobbi's Rodrigo.
>>>
>>> The second was a 1961 DGG set (one of their La Scala
>>>collaborations). I
>>> agree about Santini's dull, flabby conducting. As you said, the
>>>stereo set
>>> has glorious male beauty from Bastianini and Christoff, a
>>>surprisingly good
>>> Carlo from Labo and a marvelous, propulsive Eboli from young
>>>Cossotto.
>>>
>>> To me, Anonietta Stella is the Italian equivalent of the German
>>>soprano,
>>> Marianne Schech. Good voice, good size, good range held back by an
>>>overall
>>> musical "dowdiness." Both singers capable of lighting up with the
>>>right
>>> role and conductor and suddenly being stunning. Not here.
>>>
>>> Vesna, as oldsters like me remember, "Don Carlo" fans had to make do
>>>with
>>> these (and be grateful for the Fontainebleu scene from the DGG set)
>>>until
>>> the world improved with the release of the Solti and, I think even
>>>better,
>>> Giulini sets. But I don't underestimate that Solti set; it was a
>>>major
>>> upgrade and filled an important slot.
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> > On Aug 7, 2017, at 16:06, Vesna Danilovic <[log in to unmask]>
>>>wrote:
>>> >
>>> > On Sat, Aug 5, 2017 at 7:12 PM, William Fiorelli >
>>><[log in to unmask]>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> I have an number of DON CARLO CDs in my collection and recently
>>>read
>>> >> through a discography. I am not familiar with the following two
>>> recordings
>>> >> and am interested in your opinions. Thanks!BILL
>>> >> DON CARLO ( 5 ACT version) Santini, Labo, Christoff, Stella, >>
>>>Cossotto,
>>> >> Bastianini, Vinco, 1961
>>> >> DON CARLO ( 4 ACT version) Santini, Filippeschi, Christoff,
>>>Stella,
>>> >> Nicolai, Gobbi, Neri, 1954
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > At first I was surprised that nobody replied onlist to this query
>>>> because
>>> > there are quite a few DON CARLO aficionados here, but then this
>>>also
>>> shows
>>> > that there are probably no champions of these two sets. Both are
>>>early
>>> > studios and one would think they would be more than just souvenirs
>>>from
>>> the
>>> > time when this opera was not much recorded. I think that Santini's
>>>> boring
>>> > conducting on both sets and a variable cast make them both almost,
>>>but
>>> not
>>> > entirely, forgettable for some listeners.
>>> >
>>> > That said, I heard only the later of these two recordings because
>>>it > was
>>> > the only studio recording of Bastianini's Posa, whose rich voice
>>>comes
>>> > through with the same brilliance as on his great live
>>>performances, and
>>> > that alone makes this set worthwhile to get. I would also add >
>>>Christoff's
>>> > imposing King Philip (to my ears even better than on the legendary
>>>'58
>>> live
>>> > from ROH) and one of the better Dona Carlos on record, Flaviano
>>>Labo. I
>>> am
>>> > not as familiar with Labo but he strikes me as a true spinto tenor
>>>and > I
>>> am
>>> > frankly mystified why he didn't have a major career. I hope Stella
>>>did
>>> > better on the first set because here you can hear some lovely
>>>singing > but
>>> > devoid of any interpretive insight (by contrast, she is a
>>>wonderful
>>> > Maddalena in the film version of ANDREA CHENIER with Del Monaco).
>>>The
>>> main
>>> > liability is Santini whose routine approach to the score often
>>>borders > on
>>> > boredom but this is Verdi's masterpiece that is difficult to
>>>destroy.
>>> While
>>> > this is I believe the first studio to include the Fontainebleau
>>>scene > (in
>>> > Italian) but then Santini makes many cuts elsewhere. So, if you
>>>love > this
>>> > opera, I think you would enjoy the great Bastianini as Posa as
>>>well as
>>> > Labo's Don Carlo and Christoff's Phillip.
>>> >
>>> > Just my two cents. Vesna
>>> >
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